Omagh District Council

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Omagh District
Comhairle Ceantair na hÓmaí
Image:NorthernIrelandOmagh.png
Geography
Area
- Total
- % Water
Ranked 2nd
1,130 km²
? %
Admin HQ Omagh
ISO 3166-2 GB-OMH
ONS code 95K
Demographics
Population
- Total (2006)
- Density
Ranked 17th
51,000
45 / km²
Community Protestant: 29.7%
Catholic: 69.1%
Politics
Omagh District Council

http://www.omagh.gov.uk
MPs Pat Doherty

Omagh District Council is a Local Council in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. It has headquarters in the town of Omagh, the county town of Tyrone. The Council area is about 440 square miles, making it the second largest local council area in Northern Ireland with a population just over 50,000 (25,000 of which live in Omagh town). Apart from Omagh the area contains smaller towns including Drumquin, Dromore, Trillick, Fintona, Beragh, Carrickmore and Sixmilecross.

The Council was established in 1973 and had 20 Councillors but following a review of local government boundaries in the early 1980s, the number of Councillors representing the district was increased to 21. Omagh District Council consists of three electoral areas, Omagh Town, Mid Tyrone and West Tyrone.[1] In the last elections in 2005 members were elected from the following political parties: 10 Sinn Féin, 3 Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), 3 Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), 3 Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and 2 Independents. The election of Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council takes place annually in June. The current Chairman is Councillor Martin McColgan (SInn Fein) and the Vice Chairman is Councillor Josephine Deehan (SDLP).

Contents

[edit] 2005 Election results

Party seats change +/-
Sinn Féin 10 +2
Democratic Unionist Party 3 +1
Ulster Unionist Party 3 =
Social Democratic and Labour Party 3 -3
Independent 2 =

In both the Westminster Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly, Omagh is completely contained within the West Tyrone constituency.

[edit] Review of Public Administration

Under the Review of Public Administration (RPA) the Council is due to merge with Fermanagh District Council in 2011 to form a single council for the enlarged area totalling 2829 Sq Km and a population of 105,479.[2] The next election was due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008, Shaun Woodward, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until the introduction of the eleven new councils in 2011.[3]

[edit] Population growth

The council area (especially Omagh town) has seen significant growth in the past few years, with the population rising by the most in years. Many housing estates and shopping areas have sprung up in recent times as well.


Population:

  • 1982: 44,417
  • 1992: 46,372
  • 2002: 48,919
  • 2004: 50,082
  • Population Density - 44 per km²
  • Home Ownership - 72%
  • Unemployment - 4.5%
  • Car Ownership (Households) - 75%
  • 16-74 Population In Work - 56%

[edit] See also

Local Councils in Northern Ireland

[edit] References

[edit] External links